Fuel price hike good news: Montek

Regards it as an increase in credibility of basic part of the reforms strategy

PTI | September 16, 2011



Planning commission on Friday said the decision of oil marketing companies to raise petrol price by Rs 3.14 per litre is a good news and will provide credibility to the economic reforms process.

"What has happened (fuel price hike)... on that front it is a good news. I regard that as a vindication...(and) an increase in credibility of basic part of the reforms strategy," planning commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told reporters in the national capital.

State-owned oil companies, including IndinaOil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum, on Thursday hiked petrol price citing impact of depreciating value of rupee against dollar on import of crude oil.

After the hike, petrol price increased to Rs 66.84 per litre in Delhi. This is the second hike in four months. Oil companies had last increased petrol price by Rs 5 per litre on May 15 this year.

On impact of fuel price hike on the automobile sector, Ahluwalia said, "I don't believe that fuel price hike is hurting investment sentiments... We are standing by the signal given by the government that fuel price (in India) will be aligned with global rates."

The decision to hike petrol price is in sync with the views of the planning commission, which has been advocating that energy prices in the country should be aligned with global rates.

Asked if terror strikes would affect investment environment, he said, "I don't think so."

Ahluwalia had earlier on Thursday admitted that investment in infrastructure during the 11th Plan period (2007-12) is likely to be 10-12 per cent short of the USD 500-billion target.

Comments

 

Other News

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.

RBI pauses to assess inflation risks, policy transmission

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has begun the new fiscal year with a calibrated pause, keeping the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent in its April Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. The decision, taken unanimously, reflects a shift from aggressive policy action to cautious observation after a signi

New pathways for tourism growth

Traditionally, India’s tourism policy has been based on three main components: the number of visitors, building tourist attractions and providing facilities for tourists. Due to the increase in climate-related issues and environmental destruction that occurred over previous years, policymakers have b

Is the US a superpower anymore?

On April 8, hours after warning that “a whole civilisation will die tonight,” US president Donald Trump, exhibiting his unique style of retreating from high-voltage brinkmanship, announced that he agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran. The weekend talks in Islamabad have failed and the futur

Machines communicate, humans connect

There is a moment every event professional knows—the kind that arrives without warning, usually an hour before the curtain rises. Months of meticulous planning are in place. And then comes the call: “We’ll also need a projector. For the slides.”   No email

Why India is entering a ‘stagflation lite’ phase

India’s macroeconomic narrative is quietly shifting—from a rare “Goldilocks” equilibrium of stable growth and contained inflation to a more fragile phase where external shocks are beginning to dominate domestic policy outcomes. The numbers still look reassuring at first glance: GDP


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter